


Left to Rainstorms

by aroundu



Series: Onde del Mare [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: (beginning of a), Angst with a Happy Ending, Dancer! Yuuta, Dead parents mention, Fates to be specific, Fire Emblem AU, Found Family, Gen, Singer! Rei, dancer! Hinata, if that entices you, rei's stage name is Bloody Mary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25041733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroundu/pseuds/aroundu
Summary: The man's melodic voice carries through the rain. It's a familiar song, one that's sung around summertime in Cyrkensia to beckon the fireflies out and dance in the humid summer nights. A simple tune so that children can follow along, yet there is a longing in it. Within the words, it is like a hand is reaching out to collect the lost fireflies.And right now, listening to this singing, Hinata feels far too much like a firefly.
Relationships: Aoi Hinata & Aoi Yuuta, Aoi Hinata & Aoi Yuuta & Sakuma Rei, Aoi Hinata & Sakuma Rei, Aoi Yuuta & Sakuma Rei
Series: Onde del Mare [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994170
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26
Collections: 2wink





	Left to Rainstorms

**Author's Note:**

> hii quick note is that twinnies do live on the streets and are in a bad situation (shelter, food, ect.) so proceed with caution

Stone pathways collected rainwater on their contours, slicking the pathway with overfilling drops. Hinata’s feet moved from one stone to another with haste, neglecting the sheen of water on them that made it easier to slip and continuing at a fast pace. There was a break in the clouds above, water hanging heavy in them but pausing to gather before they began falling as raindrops again. His body felt as heavy as the darkening clouds in the sky, each step made with a purposeful push of his tired body forward. An aching leg lifted and stepped against the cool ground. Water seeping through his poor, tattered shoes to chill between his toes.

With a glance next to him, he saw his brother's hunched shoulders shivering in the cold- meaning the little body heat they worked up earlier had already worn off. Yuuta's eyes were trained on the ground watching his water sodden shoes squelch from the ground. Hinata knew he should scold him for losing focus to his surroundings, but his heart warmed at the sight. The implications that Yuuta trusted Hinata to look out for them both. That Hinata was a good big brother. A good guardian.

"Almost there, Yuuta-kun," Hinata whispered through parched lips. How ironic it was that with such a heavy rainfall today, he hadn't managed to catch a single drop for himself. His muscles groaning with each step reminded him of what kept him occupied during the day.

Yuuta offered no more response than a strong shiver and chattering teeth, and Hinata turned away from him to keep watch on the street ahead of them. It hadn't been a good idea to stay out so long in the storm, and Hinata couldn't bear to keep his eyes on the consequences of that mistake.

Fortunately, within a few minutes of quick pacing through the streets and countless turns down dark alleyways, they made it to the cramped corner they called home. Well, as much of a home two street rats could make in the corrupt city of Cyrkensia.

Travelling tourists flooded the streets by day, taking up every single inch of space with their expensive silk clothes and elaborate hair pieces. So, the city guards had the most noble job of routinely sweeping away the homeless from the busy streets, so as to nor disturb the extravagant image of the city. It pushed urchins like Hinata and Yuuta to the furthest corners. Deserted alleyways that even the desperate homeless passed because of the cracking foundations and whispers of haunted beings rising from the cursed stone.

Hinata hated those rumors the most. Not because of any pride over this area of crumbling buildings, but because of the fright it gave his brother. It took weeks for Yuuta to finally manage to sleep for a full night without waking up at the slightest creek or groan in the night. No amount of Hinata's arguments that no spooky things would get them, or assurances that if even such things did exist that Hinata would protect him would make Yuuta settle down.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on his brother's spindly bones though, so he turned less and less in the night if only because his body didn't possess the strength to conjure up fear of the dark anymore.

The rain picked up again, pattering against the ripped sail that Hinata had stolen from the docks. He had to convince Yuuta that it was unusable so it wasn’t stealing, it was repurposing trash, something Hinata’s gotten good at. Other people’s old, worn clothing that were thrown away, Hinata would collect and sew up to fit him and Yuuta. Scraps of food tossed away, Hinata collected and tried to make as edible as possible so that they would have dinner that night.

But for as good as he is at reusing things, he still felt that his heart would be nothing more than the puddles in the street. Growing and growing in size, yet never changing to be anything more than dirty water. Perhaps he could be large enough to become a flood, but the thought sends a tickle of fear through him; a lingering memory of his and Yuuta’s home being swept away in the water, along with their parents rises in him like the water did long ago. He doesn’t want to be a flood.

Yuuta’s fingers are freezing against Hinata’s already cold arm, and it makes a cloud of worry brew in his mind that his brother is sick. He turns to look at Yuuta who’s bundled himself under what little blankets they managed to scrape together. His green eyes stare into Hinata’s, and Hinata notes the furrow in his brow. He smiles to ease his brother’s worries, and scoots away from the entrance of their little cranny- nothing more than a flap hanging down to act as a door- and shifts closer to Yuuta.

Words remain unspoken between them, their minds too tired to conjure up a conversation. Not like they ever needed to share words between them to understand each other. Their minds were connected like how lightning strikes always find the ground, or how the sound of a stray coin clatter against the stone sent dozens of urchins to scramble after it.

Hinata leaned back against the wall, letting Yuuta pull the blankets over them both then curl into his side to leech warmth. He wasn’t sure how much he could offer, but the shivers overtaking Yuuta’s body led Hinata to pull the blanket up over him more and tuck it in under his chin. Hinata let his head tilt back to rest against the wall, and his eyes flutter close as his mind drifts off to the rain picking up outside. The sound of drops hitting the already wet stones with a soft hush drowned out by the loud pattering of the rain colliding with the makeshift sail roof.

He takes deep breaths, holding onto the smell of rain and keeping it inside him. If he becomes a part of the rain, then he could rise up to the clouds and float away. Drifting through the skies… he can feel the wind blowing through his hair, and the sunlight warm against his back as he looks over the land below. Green fields of grass shimmering in the breeze, blotches of trees dotting around, and brush strokes of roads for farmers and travelers alike. He gets lost in the sensations of his dream until he hears a disturbance outside.

It was hard to miss, but listening to the rain as intently as Hinata was, he could hear the difference in the pitter patter outside. Something heavier than the raindrops was sloshing through the water puddled on the ground, and after a moment of squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on the noise, Hinata recognized the steady rhythm as footsteps.

In an instant, his heart was squeezing with fear and his eyes shot open. The subtle jolt he made was enough to make Yuuta’s eyes open too, peering up at him with sleepy eyes and a cocked eyebrow. Hinata pursed his lips and pulled the blankets up and over Yuuta’s head to hide him, dodging Yuuta’s hand that tried to pull him under as well, and crept to the entrance.

Outside it was darker than earlier since the storm picked up and rain poured from sky like with the tenacity of a child’s tears during a tantrum. Heavy and thick drops hitting the ground that to someone who didn’t grow up on the streets conceal the approach of someone, but squinting his eyes, Hinata could see a shadow approaching them. His heart rocked in his chest, and he reached for the single sheet of paper he kept folded and hidden in the waistband of his pants. A small flame of hope burned in him that this was another outcast creeping around and would pass the twins’ hut over, but as the figure continued to approach in an obvious straight line towards them, that hope extinguished.

The paper in his hand was stolen from a mage’s spell tome. Hinata had tried to take the whole book, but only managed to swipe a single page. He could do nothing more than conjure up a few sparks that looked nothing more than a cantrip, but to those unfamiliar with magic, it could be intimidating.

The figure grew closer and closer, and Hinata tightened his still aching leg muscles to jump and attack when it got close enough. But the moment didn’t come, because the figure paused a few feet away. Hinata squinted more, and could barely make out the figure lowering to the ground and with a splash of water, sitting down in a puddle.

Growing up on the streets led Hinata’s suspicion to be as fine as a needle, yet he couldn’t understand what this stranger’s ploy was, and without thinking about it his fingers clutching the spell paper loosened just a bit from his confusion.

“Hello there,” the stranger called in a smooth voice. Each syllable rolled off his tongue like water flows in a river, and as melodic as it was, there was a deepness to it. That combined with the dark silhouette, led Hinata to assume it was a man.

Hinata remained still from where he peaked out from behind the curtain. He had no clue what this stranger’s intentions were.

“I won’t move an inch forward,” the stranger continued, somehow guessing Hinata’s wariness. “I’ll just sit right here.”

“You’ll get sick sittin’ in the water,” Hinata said out of no concern for the stranger’s wellbeing, but rather in hopes it’d convince him to leave.

The stranger shifted in the water, and with a splash he spread his legs out. “The water won’t hurt me, we’re friends.” Hinata kept his mouth shut, and in his mind determined that this man was probably some beggar from the street that’s a bit lost in his mind. Only a fool would think the water wouldn’t chill him and make him sick. Bad enough was he and Yuuta running through it to get home, but this man was sitting directly in a puddle.

With Hinata’s lack of response, nothing except the raindrops falling around them broke the silence. A drop of water peeled itself off from the canvas roof and hit Hinata’s nose, making him raise his hand to rub it dry. When he pulls his hand back down though, he realizes he’s exposed his only weapon as nothing more than a piece of paper. The adrenaline that kept him warm before gets swept away as fear as cold as ice sweeps through his veins, but he can’t show that fear now because it could be the moment the stranger is waiting for. A moment of vulnerability.

“Dreadful lighting tonight, but lucky me that my eyes are suited for this darkness. If I’m not mistaken, you are one of the twins that performs by the market stalls, correct?”

Hinata’s fingers crumpled the paper in his hand, an uncontrolled motion caused by his fear.

The stranger’s figure didn't change at all, and he continued talking in a slow, peaceful way. “I’m here with a job opportunity. One that if you take, you will have a proper roof over your heads, full bellies, and no fear of fighting for loose change on the street.”

Yuuta shuffled himself out from under the blankets and kneels next to Hinata, despite his pushing to keep him away from the entrance and away from danger. Hinata knows that he’s hooked on this stranger’s words, and knows that more than anything his brother wants to be more than an urchin that sleeps in alleyways like a piece of garbage. But Hinata must protect his brother, so with a more insistent shove, he keeps Yuuta away.

“Not interested in scams. Go away.” Hinata watches the figure and silently begs that he’ll leave. He bites his lip when he sees the shadow has not shifted at all.

“I can prove to you that I am coming from a place of honesty,” the stranger’s voice changes slightly, and Hinata can hear the smile that must be accompanying it. Without waiting for Hinata to respond, the stranger’s voice carries out through the rain as he begins to sing.

It’s a song that's sung around summertime in Cyrkensia, one that’s meant to beckon the fireflies to come out and dance. A simple tune so that children can follow along, yet there is a longing in it, like within the words a hand is reaching out to collect the fireflies. And right now, listening to this singing, Hinata feels far too much like a firefly. He swallows his anxiety away, and somehow the aching in his legs dissipates. Even his breathing feels stronger, like he didn’t know how to breathe before. The voice is beautiful and Hinata hangs off it, and he doesn’t even bother to shoo Yuuta away when he scoots forward and pokes his head out from the flap too.

And then, the water started glowing.

Hinata dropped his paper in shock and awe, as the shimmering red water started collecting itself off the ground and moving into the air, towards the singer. The water circled him, and in its glow, Hinata was able to see the man’s black hair, and eyes red like a drop of blood. Even the rain paused to join into the water dancing around the singer, who continued to sit ever at peace on the cold stones. On a high note, the water glowed brighter, illuminating the entire alleyway. Its glow gentle, and beckoning the twins forward. They crawled out of their makeshift hut into the beautifully lit alleyway. The stones beneath them were dry, the picked up water hovering in the air around them.

The singer finished the song with a drawn out note, and the water remained suspended in the air, flickering and waving around, casting a red hue on the alley’s three occupants. Hinata was amazed by the whole performance- it’s an act he never believed he would ever get to see in person.

But it was one that he’s heard of before.

“You’re Bloody Mary,” Hinata gasped. Next to him, Yuuta slunk back behind his brother, his eyes of amazement now widened with fear.

“B-bloody Mary?! So, he’s a killer?!” Yuuta’s urgent whisper just loud enough for Hinata to hear. Hinata kept his eyes on Bloody Mary, but turned and whispered back.

“No, it’s that singer I told you about. The one that can do the red water tricks and stuff! He works at the Opera House.”

“The Opera House…” Yuuta peaked out from behind Hinata again, the awe from before returning to his eyes with a glimmer. It was any performers’ dream to have a spot in the Opera House, but only the most melodious voices or stunning visual acts could hold a job there. It was a long-shot dream for the twins, something completely unattainable. No matter the fantastical stories Hinata told Yuuta to lull him to sleep about how they would be the most popular dancers in all of Cyrkensia, they were nothing more than stories and dreams. And dreams were dangerous to hold on to.

Yet, the singer's earlier words came back into Hinata’s mind. He tried to make himself sound older, more mature when he spoke, trying to sound like the adults working the stalls in the market when making a deal. “You said you could give us a job. Do you mean at the Opera House?”

Bloody Mary smiled and rested his hands on his crossed legs. “Of course. Though it wouldn’t be for your own acts unfortunately. You see, I am in need of some backup for my own shows.”

Hinata narrowed his eyes. “Why us?” This deal was too good to be true, so it must be a trap. There were tons of top-tier performers already hired in the Opera House, so why couldn’t Bloody Mary select from them? Why go out of his way to find street rats performing on the street for dinner? It wasn’t making sense- the world wasn’t that nice.

“I’ve seen you performing, of course I’ve had to wear a hood lest I be melted by the cruel sun, but your energy is quite…” Bloody Mary trailed off, pausing to tap a finger on his chin. “I suppose it’s something natural within you two- a natural talent bestowed upon you. Though it will never blossom into a beautiful flower if you are straddled to the misery of living in alleyways and begging for meager scraps of food. I need backup dancers, and your talents are all that I trust will be able to keep up with me.”

Hinata’s entire body went rigid with shock when the words hit him. His chest tightened and everything felt so unreal that he had to blink a few times just to see if this was all a dream. If the chilling rain would replace Bloody Mary. Good things like this… luck like this- it didn’t happen to them. They were a pair of unfortunate twins, cursed with a hard existence.

Yuuta’s sniffle is what brought Hinata out of his spiral, and he turned to meet his brother’s tears. Yuuta was always a big crier, his tears as heavy as the rain and a dripping, snot-filled nose to accompany it. He must be thinking the same thing as Hinata. He can tell it’s one big cruel joke.

“R-really? You mean it? We-we have potential like that? We can have a job with you?” Yuuta sniveled. Hinata opened his mouth to refute him. This wasn’t real, this was a scam for sure.

Bloody Mary nodded. “I mean every word I say. You must be Yuuta-kun, I presume?”

Hinata was ready again to speak and claim that he himself was Yuuta, but Yuuta beat him to it. “Yes, I’m Yuuta. How did you know?”

“Because I know Hinata-kun is the older brother, and he’s truly acting so protective of you, and cautious of me. I believe I am safe in my assumptions of who’s who.” Bloody Mary smiled, a kind, gentle curl of his lips. Hinata’s own lips drew into a straight line, and he felt one half of him wanted to fight Bloody Mary for being here, and another wanted to go and fall into his arms and listen to him say everything will be okay.

“Hinata-kun, you seemed to know of me from the blood water alone. I take it you also know that my name- my true name- is known to none? I’ll provide you with it, if that would comfort you.”

It was true that the singer had appeared virtually out of nowhere one day, and took the performance capital of the lands by storm with his sirenesque singing and captivating water abilities. No one knew his name though, and especially not any other drops of his past. There were rumors though. Whether he was a Nohrian rebel on the run, or a Hoshidan noble kept secret from the populace, or even a member of one of the elemental tribes. Regardless of the rumors though, he held power in Cyrkensia, and knowing his name would mean having that power as well.

Having power meant having a way to protect Yuuta.

Hinata stepped forward, pulling Yuuta with him. “Okay. We’ll go with you if you tell us your name.”

The singer rose to his feet with slow, languid motions. The red water swirling around him at the same delicate pace illuminated him head to toe, and with a stretch of his hands, that same water extended out to welcome the twins into its spiral.

“Please allow me one request of asking that you do keep this to yourselves. It’d be rather troubling if I were to be found out.”

Hinata nodded, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Yuuta follow his action.

The singer looked between the twins, and seeming satisfied with what he saw in their eyes, he extended his hands to them. One for each twin. “I am Sakuma Rei. A pleasure to meet you, Hinata-kun and Yuuta-kun.”

Yuuta took the hand in an instant, smiling with delight and shaking it, his former tears being picked up to join the swirling red water around them. Hinata hesitated, memories of previous betrayals flickering in his mind and clouding him with fear, but there was still a flicker of hope in him. He was a child, after all, so he couldn’t be scolded for making the same mistakes over and over. Especially with no parents to do such scolding.

“Thank you, _Sakuma Rei_ -san.” Hinata spoke with extra emphasis on Rei’s name. A reminder that he’d never forget it.

Rei offered him a grin that made his eyes squint, and with both twins hands in his, the red water fell to the ground around them. Rain falling continued once more, unbothered by magical disturbance, but this time as the twins trudged through it, they shook not because of the chill, but because of the flames of hope burning higher and higher with each step they took.

A future where they would not have to sleep under a ripped sail, or stolen blankets. Wearing shoes too small, that left their feet with endless blisters after dancing. Or wearing stained clothing they somehow had to make presentable to perform in. No more digging through garbage to try and find a meal to eat during the slow days of business.

Hinata and his brother were moving towards a future where the sun would shine on them, warm their skin and breathe life into them after such countless storms from the past.

No longer were they left to rainstorms.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote the first 500 words in one night, took a week long break, then wrote the remaining 3000 in two days. so go me i guess? i actually like this one fellas ive never been so wordy with my... words.. before. so i hope it was good<3
> 
> here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/AOlHlNATA)


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